PREDICTORS OF ENHANCED WELL-BEING AFTER CORONARY-ARTERY BYPASS-SURGERY

Objectives. To assess patients' perception of the therapeutic outcome after coronary artery bypass surgery, and to find predictors for incre ased wellbeing. Design. Self-administered questionnaires (Family APGAR and GHQ-30) were completed on admission and at the follow-up after 12 months, together with functional classification according to the NYHA index. Setting. Ulleval University Hospital, Oslo, Norway, 1990-1992. Subjects. Two hundred and thirteen patients with stable angina admitt ed for elective coronary artery bypass surgery. Intervention. Elective coronary artery bypass surgery. Main outcome measures. Improved physi cal and psychosocial functioning after one year. Results. One hundred and ninety-seven (92%) patients improved their NYHA class, while it re mained stable or declined in 16 (8%) patients. Significantly fewer pat ients with mental distress were found at the follow-up than at the bas eline examination (49 patients [23%] versus 80 patients [38%], respect ively, P < 0.0001). One hundred and forty-six patients (69%) reported enhanced psychosocial well-being, while it was reduced (n = 60) or unc hanged (n = 7) in 67 patients (31%). Predictors for improved psychosoc ial well-being following coronary artery bypass surgery were mental di stress before surgery (odds ratio 2.8) and being a male patient (odds ratio 2.8). Conclusions. The majority of the patients reported signifi cant improvement in their physical and psychosocial functioning one ye ar after coronary artery bypass surgery. Mental distress and male sex were significant predictors of enhanced well-being. Questionnaires on psychosocial well-being such as the GHQ-30 may, in addition to health status measurements, offer additional useful information when coronary artery bypass surgery is considered.